Neu-Isenburg/Germany, 8th November 2017 – Hankook has been preparing for the final race of the season in Austin for weeks. 13 containers with tyres were shipped to the USA for the practice sessions, qualifying and the endurance race itself. Hankook engineers and service experts will also be on site to ensure that all the teams receive a perfect tyre service throughout the race weekend.

“Our race engineers ensure the teams always find the perfect grip,” says Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Motorsport Director Europe. Among the services provided is tailor-made advice on tyre pressure and chassis settings. “We have worked together superbly throughout the season. We provide a standardized, high-performance compound for all tyre sizes, in order to guarantee maximum equality of opportunity,” Sandbichler explains. The tyres are also fit by the Hankook experts, who work in shifts on five assembly lines.

The 5.49-kilometre Circuit of the Americas is the only specially built facility in the USA to host the biggest motorsport series in the world – including Formula 1, MotoGP, the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), and the 24H Series. With a combination of fast, sweeping sections and tight, technical corners, the track also poses a very special challenge for a race tyre. “Although the series has never raced here before, the drivers and teams are given an optimal race tyre. We can call on comprehensive data acquired across our wide range of motorsport commitments, together with the wealth of experience of our race engineers,” says Manfred Sandbichler.

The season finale, taking place in the USA for the first time, is special for several reasons: one and a half times the standard points are awarded here, in order to make the championship even more exciting. 44 teams from 25 countries have registered for the race, with roughly a quarter of them running spectacular GT3 cars or similar, ranging from Mercedes AMG GT and Aston Martin to Audi R8 LMS and Porsche 911 GT3. “This season, we have once again managed to develop a tyre that suits the many different concepts of car,” says Sandbichler. “The teams gave us outstanding feedback. We are looking forward to an exciting race.”